Cultural Humility: A Concept Analysis

Diversity is being increasingly recognized as an area of emphasis in health care. The term cultural humility is used frequently but society’s understanding of the term is unclear. The aim of this paper was to provide a concept analysis and a current definition for the term cultural humility. To capture society's definition of the term, seven databases representing different disciplines were explored. Abstracts were read for relevance and sixty two articles from  were included in the review.  Rodgers and Knafl’s (2000) method of concept analysis was used to guide the process. Cultural humility was used in a variety of contexts from individuals having ethnic and racial differences, to differences in sexual preference, social status, interprofessional roles, to healthcare provider/patient relationships. The attributes were openness, self-awareness, egoless, supportive interactions, and self-reflection and critique. The antecedents were diversity and power imbalance. The consequences were mutual empowerment, partnerships, respect, optimal care, and lifelong learning. Cultural humility was described as a lifelong process. With a firm understanding of the term, individuals and communities will be better equipped to understand and accomplish an inclusive environment with mutual benefit and optimal care.